Advanced Manufacturing

Manufacturing in the Centralina Region

The Centralina Economic Development Commission has identified the adoption
of advanced manufacturing technologies as a priority for our regional economic
development. The nine-county region currently has over 2,700 manufacturing firms,
the largest concentration of manufacturing in the state. However, the manufacturing
industry is under pressure from imports and lower costs in competing countries.
Successfully sustaining and growing this important industry in our region will
require the integration of new technologies into manufacturing processes and
the creation of an environment in which advanced manufacturing can flourish.

We are presently focusing on the Automotive Supply Chain as one industry
in Centralina region that will benefit from our Advanced Manufacturing initiative.
For more information, please visit our Automotive
Supply Chain page.

Advanced Manufacturing Initiative
With a planning grant from the Economic Development Administration and investments
from equity partners, the CEDC has released a feasibility analysis for the
development of Advanced Manufacturing Facilities in the Centralina region.
In a progressive inter-state collaboration, three counties in South Carolina
(Chester, Lancaster and York) and the Catawba
Council of Governments have joined in this effort.

The feasibility study
catalogues
current manufacturing in the region,
identifying opportunities in emerging technologies and advanced manufacturing,
and establishing a strategy to implement these recommendations.

Developing a regional website, www.MindsThatManufacture.com to promote the efficacy and growth
of the advanced manufacturing companies, collaboration among companies in
the cluster, educational programs, and to encourage discussion of innovative
products.

Branding strategy and marketing for advanced manufacturing centers
and companies in the region. The website is expected to grow and become a
vehicle for small businesses to connect both with experts, programs, and other
businesses in their supply chain.

Creating and printing of a brochure featuring the advanced manufacturing
centers in the region. The brochure will be used by the Charlotte Regional
Partnership, local chambers, community colleges, and economic developers in
the area to highlight the manufacturing cluster.

Researching the extent of the cluster and mapping the supply chain for the automotive, motorsports, and transportation industry in the greater
Charlotte region and to potentially enlarge the region. The goal is to spot
areas where missing industries might be recruited to the region and to let
existing manufacturers buy locally produced materials.

Initiative Goals:

Creating and sustaining advanced manufacturing resources that will serve
targeted small and medium sized manufacturing enterprises in the Centralina
region, providing expertise and support to innovative enterprises in a targeted
sector.

Encouraging the continued growth and prosperity of manufacturing firms
in the region and employ innovative technologies and advanced manufacturing
processes to compete in a global market.

Central Piedmont Community College
(CPCC), a multi-campus facility serving Mecklenburg County, opened
a new facility in Charlotte using integrated systems technology (IST) to train
displaced workers for new jobs that require setting up, operating, and maintaining
a variety of high-tech manufacturing systems. The program includes both instructor-led
classes and hands-on training in electronics, hydraulics and pneumatics,
piping systems, electrical sensors and basic mechanical devices.

Also through this initiative, CPCC will offer an apprenticeship program and
advanced manufacturing courses toward an Associate of Applied Science degree
(AAS).